Lamont Lester Jr. did not need long to introduce himself to Colorado fans.
In his first game wearing black and gold, the Monmouth transfer recorded all three of Colorado’s sacks and helped shut down one of the nation’s most respected rushing attacks. Georgia Tech managed only 51 rushing yards as the Buffaloes escaped Atlanta with a 14–13 victory.
The performance earned Lester co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors. Colorado’s entire defensive front was also recognized as the conference’s Defensive Line of the Week.
It was the type of debut that can quickly transform a transfer into a recognizable name. Lester admitted he enjoyed the congratulatory messages and sudden increase in social media attention following the victory.
“You know how it goes...good game this, good game that,” Lester said. “Taking it all in. Got a lot of DMs and a lot of follows and stuff like that. But it was cool. It was a nice experience, but we’re on to the next one.”
Coach Prime saw Lester’s talent at Monmouth
Deion Sanders did not initially realize that Lester had accounted for all three of Colorado’s sacks. Once informed during his postgame press conference, Sanders used the accomplishment to make a larger point about evaluating players from smaller programs.
“I didn’t even know. That’s good,” Sanders said. “The kid coming from Monmouth...you know, he was a great player last year. A lot of these guys are great players where they came from. That’s why we got them.”
Lester earned FCS All-America recognition at Monmouth before transferring to Colorado. Sanders believes playing at a smaller school sometimes prevents talented players from receiving the credit they deserve.
“Just because a guy played at a smaller school, you don’t give him the credit that he deserves sometimes,” Sanders said. “But football is football to me. I don’t give a darn who’s out there on the other side. You could watch film and say, ‘That guy can play.’ I don’t care who he’s playing against.”
Sanders also said Tuesday that Lester was the highest-graded defensive lineman by Pro Football Focus during the opening week.
“I thought we were small,” Sanders joked after seeing the final totals.
Lester credited defensive coordinator Chris Marve and Colorado’s entire defensive front for establishing the mentality that carried the Buffaloes in Atlanta.
“The mindset for the whole defense, not just the D-line, is something we preach every day,” Lester said. “Coach Marve does a good job. It’s violence and aggression, playing fast, physical, smart and relentless effort. And that’s what we’re going to keep doing throughout the whole year.”
No rat poison before Weber State
Three sacks, a conference honor and a flood of attention could make it easy for a player to spend the week celebrating his arrival.
Lester has a simple phrase for preventing that from happening.
“Something I go by is ‘no rat poison,’ meaning don’t let the internet or stuff like that get to your head,” Lester said. “Always stay levelheaded and just go to work.”
That mentality becomes particularly important as Colorado returns home to face Weber State. The Buffaloes are heavily favored after winning as an underdog in Atlanta, creating a completely different challenge for a team coming off an emotional road victory.
Lamont is not dismissing the Wildcats. He said he has already watched a significant amount of film and sees a capable offense preparing to challenge Colorado’s defensive front.
“They got some good players over there,” Lester said. “Both their tackles are solid. Their offense is solid. They got a solid receiver, a solid running back. So, we should be in for a challenge this week.”
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